Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Jeb Bush In 1995: Unwed Mothers Should Be Publicly Shamed

Jeb Bush In 1995: Unwed Mothers Should Be Publicly Shamed

Public shaming would be an effective way to regulate the
“irresponsible behavior” of unwed mothers, misbehaving teenagers and
welfare recipients, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) argued in his 1995
book Profiles in Character.
In a chapter called "The
Restoration of Shame,” the likely 2016 presidential candidate made the
case that restoring the art of public humiliation could help prevent
pregnancies “out of wedlock.”

One of the reasons more
young women are giving birth out of wedlock and more young men are
walking away from their paternal obligations is that there is no longer a
stigma attached to this behavior, no reason to feel shame. Many of
these young women and young men look around and see their friends
engaged in the same irresponsible conduct. Their parents and neighbors
have become ineffective at attaching some sense of ridicule to this
behavior. There was a time when neighbors and communities would frown on
out of wedlock births and when public condemnation was enough of a
stimulus for one to be careful.

Bush points to Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter,
in which the main character is forced to wear a large red "A" for
"adulterer" on her clothes to punish her for having an extramarital
affair that produced a child, as an early model for his worldview.
"Infamous shotgun weddings and Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter are reminders that public condemnation of irresponsible sexual behavior has strong historical roots,” Bush wrote.
As
governor of Florida in 2001, Bush had the opportunity to test his
theory on public shaming. He declined to veto a very controversial bill
that required single mothers who did not know the identity of the father
to publish their sexual histories in a newspaper before they could
legally put their babies up for adoption. He later signed a repeal of the so-called "Scarlet Letter" law in 2003 after it was successfully challenged in court.

Bush's
ideas about public shaming extended beyond unwed parents. He said
American schools and the welfare system could use a healthy dose of
shame as well. “For many, it is more shameful to work than to take
public assistance -- that is how backward shame has become!” he wrote,
adding that the juvenile criminal justice system also "seems to be
lacking in humiliation," Bush wrote.

In the context of present-day society we need to make kids feel shame before their friends rather than their family. The Miami Herald
columnist Robert Steinback has a good idea. He suggests dressing these
juveniles in frilly pink jumpsuits and making them sweep the streets of
their own neighborhoods! Would these kids be so cavalier then?

It's worth pointing out that the kind of public shaming Bush described has come under fire recently in response to the growing trend of parents humiliating their children on social media to punish them. A 13-year-old girl committed suicide last month after her father posted a video of himself cutting off her long hair on YouTube because she had disobeyed him.
YouTube
and social media, of course, did not exist when Bush wrote his book in
1995. But the former governor makes clear that "society needs to relearn
the art of public and private disapproval and how to make those to
engage in some undesirable behavior feel some sense of shame."
Bush did not respond to a request for comment.

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Now for the rant from a white, divorced, mother of three

Bush
might have said it first in 1995 but later actions prove he still feels
the same way. As you can see by the article, as governor of Florida in 2001, Bush had the opportunity
to test his theory on public shaming. He declined to veto a very
controversial bill that required single mothers who did not know the
identity of the father to publish
their sexual histories in a
newspaper before they could legally put their babies up for adoption. He
later signed a repeal of the so-called "Scarlet Letter" law in 2003
after it was successfully challenged in court.

No matter what
his current rhetoric might be, he's shown his true colors, and do we
really want him as our next president? Instead of going back to the dark
ages by 'shaming' he ought to have made sure birth control was covered
by insurance and abortions were safe and legal. His, or anyone's,
religious
values are out of place in government AS THEY ARE NOT
SHARED BY ALL. So you believe birth control and abortions are wrong -
don't use them and don't have them. Those who don't share that belief
should have access.
Yes, our founding fathers (except, maybe,
Jefferson) adhered to the manifest destiny of the white man. BUT THAT'S
NOT WHAT THEY WROTE. In the documents created to start our country, they
made it clear that all were created equal under the law, and church and
state were to be separate.
People, it is time we remembered that.
Our laws are meant to secular - color blind and made without the
influence of religious belief - so they encompass all creeds, genders
(this includes LGBT), and races equally.
All have a right to
personal freedoms. I know this frightens those older, white males who
fear losing control of the government. But it is time to step down. Your
rules are becoming more and more ludicrous as you try to retain a grip
on the reins of power, as you desperately try to cling to the days of
white entitlement. The public, where white males are no longer the
largest voting group, is watching.
White police officers
quitting because a black female is elected to office, shooting unarmed
black teens, are overstepping their authority into brutality. Schools -
so afraid boys will be sexually charged by seeing a girl's shoulders
that one sent a five-year-old girl home because her sundress had
spaghetti straps. Perpetuating a rape environment where a woman is
forced to bear a child created during an act of violence against her,
and then to add salt to the injury they give the rapists legal rights to
that child.
It's time to stop allowing conservatists to write
laws based on their own religious beliefs. Believe it or not, I can love
my country and yet not be a Christian.
And give these people a few science and biology lessons as their views are woefully ignorant:
On the female reproductive system we have these kinds of comments.
"The facts show that people who are raped —who are truly raped—the
juices don't flow, the body functions don't work and they don't get
pregnant. Medical authorities agree that this is a rarity, if
ever."—former Rep. Henry Aldridge (R-N.C.)
Life begins "from the
first day of the last menstrual period of the pregnant
woman."—Statement from an Arizona bill signed into law by Republican
Gov. Jan Brewer. (See? Even some women don't fully understand
conception.)
"If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."—former Rep. Todd Akin (R-Missouri).
"As long as it's inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it."
—Former Texas Republican gubernatorial contender Clayton Williams on
rape.

On climate change we have:
“I do not believe that
human activity is causing these dramatic changes to our climate the way
these scientists are portraying. And I do not believe that the laws that
they propose we pass will do anything about it.” -Senator Marco Rubio, a
member on the Senate Subcommittee on Science and Space
"The pope
should leave science to the scientists." -Rick Santorum made this
comment about Pope Francis, who holds a degree as a chemical technician
and worked as a chemist before turning to the priesthood.
Now
these men and women have a right to their narrow minded, bigoted, and
misogynistic beliefs. What they don't have is the right to impose their
values on those who disagree with them. Let's vote this type of person
out of our governing body. Isn't it long past time to stop
discriminating against those adhering to different creeds, all gender orientations, and different races?

And I haven't even started on his words about the homeless or unemployed...
Don't perpetuate the hate by voting for this man.